Special

There are Christians that don’t feel like they are very special.  I want to encourage you today to start looking at yourself in a whole different way. Usually we judge ourselves by what we hear other people saying about us. When you were growing up some people might have made fun of you for whatever reason and you learned to see yourself in a different way.  I believe this to be a fact; that if someone gives you ten compliments and then says one negative thing about you, you will meditate on the one negative comment and it will cancel out the ten positives comments.  I don’t know for sure why this happens but it seems to be the norm, just  the way people think.

If I was to try to analyze the human race I would say it was pride.  Think about this, if somebody criticizes you in a critical way, what are they saying?  They are saying I am better than you, you have a problem and I don’t.  That sounds like pride to me, what do you think?  If it is positive criticism we need to listen and learn from what is being said.  I have heard it said, “That pride stinks and everyone can smell it except the one who has it.”  It is so easy to let other people dictate our worth.  And if we hear the same negative things about ourselves over and over the words seem to get cemented in our brains and then they can captivate our way of thinking, maybe for the rest of our lives. 

When you look in a mirror you don’t see what is really important, all you see is a shell, a tent, for the Holy Spirit to dwell in, if you are a Christian.  Is your body important, yes, and we need no take care of what we have. But the real beauty is the inner person.  When the Lord looks for beauty He looks at the heart, the inner person.

We are so inundated and bombarded with people pushing things to make us look good on the outside that it becomes our main concern.  Some people are so driven to have a beautiful appearance and an athletic body they miss out on what is really important, their inner self, that is what God cares the most about.

In 1^ST Samuel 16:7 it says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart!”  This took place when Samuel was sent to anoint David King.  Samuel looked at David’s brother Eliab and thought he was the one to be anointed because of his outward appearance.  

Think of it like this, if God created you the way you are then He had a good reason because God doesn’t make junk.  Every person is very special to God and He loves them all.  Even if your dad was a great person and loved you very much, God is much greater and He loves you so much more.  

I know I didn’t experience much of what I call real love when I grew up and I know that there are many others that had it far worse than I did. When I heard of unconditional love I had an extremely difficult time believing that God or anyone else could love me that way.  I never knew that kind of love could exist, how could I believe it?  God knew I would have that problem and He loved me so much that He showed me through my wife, and I could talk about that lady for hours, she is the absolute best for me.  She loves me unconditionally and I know it and I also know that God loves me more than she does, praise His name.

And He loves you more than you will ever understand. You are so special to Him that he has every hair on your head counted.  You are an heir to His Kingdom.  He has a beautiful place prepared and waiting for you.  You are so special you are the apple of His eye.  He is jealous for you and you can never be snatched out of His hands.  So don’t let people dictate how you should feel about yourself because of some of the unkind things that you have heard.  Keep your eyes and mind on the One that truly loves you, the One that thinks you are so special that He died for you and He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He has nothing but the best in mind for you.  So be encouraged and smile and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord.  God bless and have a great day.